Watch the game with an open mind if you guys can. This is our team like it or not. Much like the football team they are super young. Forget about the coach for a minute and see if you can find any positives. Then blast the coach when the game ends. << That’s when I roll off to bed. PS, psu has a fairly nice team, not great.

I’ll be watching this game closely as I missed last two. Impressions from Navy were not good. Small, slow, nothing inside. These things won’t get better. Let’s hope the guys who say they give effort and are fun to watch are right. Go Pitt!!

Ike I agree we should watch the game with an open mind, so what bothers me is: the seeming lack of offensive system, the consistent shots that go up without a rebounder anywhere to be found, the undisciplined defense, unwillingness to call obvious timeouts to teach, and the number of layups given in part games. This to me is not about the players, it’s about coaching. I hope I’m wrong, I thought Stallings history proved he may be a mediocre coach, but he doesn’t seem to be even that good.

There actually is some talent. They just have no clue how to play together, particularly on defense. Wilson-Frame, Carr and Stephenson all have some ability. But still no center or strong inside presence. Unless they gel quickly, I can’t see them winning more than 5 games.

MissingWlat is correct there’s some talent here, given the schedule they’ve played they have already underperformed. Only KS’ dad or son would come on this board to make yet an excuse for what we’ve witnessed. This is not personal, I have nothing against Stallings, he simply doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing.

Down 26 to Penn State. Everyone gets better except Us. Herman was called out on Day 1 by me. A bum with no East Coast Ties. And somehow Gallagher hired him? Garbage. Stallings could coach till he is 189 years old and still not have above a .500 record at Pitt. And we keep him because of a little money that is chump change for a AD to raise Worth her salt.

And who the heck said this team is fun to watch. Geez, I seen 10 car pileups that we’re more fun. You have to be half blind to think this is fun. If talent is lacking it does in fact fall directly on the head coach. Remember, he was supposed to be a great recruiter, and would do even better. Once he was freed from Vandys academics. What a farce.

My first watch of the season. To quote Dennis Green, “they are who we thought they were”…Scott Barnes should receive a public flogging for the dumpster fire that is Pitt basketball. No doubt the worst Pitt bball team in my lifetime. If they don’t beat BC on Feb. 13, I really don’t see an ACC victory.

Although these kids may give max effort, they have no conception of team defense. There may be some 50 point losses to Duke and Carolina. I don’t know what is worse, watching Artis and Young half-ass it every night or watching these kids get beat like a drum. There are going to be some empty nights at the Pete in February.

You play in the best conference in basketball, campus in an urban environment, great on campus facility, east coast recruiting footprint, and the coach makes $2 MM…. How can the talent be this bad? Not expecting 1-and-done guys, but how about ACC caliber players?

How do you be objective, and not crush the coach or the kids. I do not blame the players, they accepted a scholarship to an ACC school. They were probably stunned to get the offer. But the coach, well, he recruited them, he coaches them, and ultimately he is responsible for the product on the floor.
Objectively they are slow, they are small, they do not move the ball crisply, they look confused, they jack up bad shots, they are very, very bad defensively. Lots more to say, but it would just be piling on at this point.

That’s total for the rest of the season. Thanks Barnes….and we thought Cornhole was poison. Any competent AD average or better, would fire the coach, use an interim coach and start the search right away. I hope Lyke doesn’t think she can wait and see what happens next year…

1968–1969 Pitt was 4–20 under coach Buzz Ridl.
Victories over WVU, Carnegie Melon, Westminster and the last one escapes me.

We have one of the worst teams in ACC history and I am convinced that Stallings will not be at Pitt next year.

Money talks and a totally empty Pete will finally force the “powers that be” to get off their asses and
start all over with a new regime….of course Heather will have to renew the Fanta contract for old times sake.
I go back to the Class of ’63 and between the mess on the football field and the DISASTER we have in basketball I am embarrassed daily because I live in York, Pa>>> PENN STATE COUNTRY.

Probably my last watch of the season. They were down 41 in the second half to an in-state “rival” football school that has made 2 NCAA tournament appearances in the last 20 years. If that is not a wake-up call to the athletic department I don’t know what is.

This team will go winless in the ACC. By the time they get to BC, it’s mid February. They will be so beaten down by then and with half-wit Otis, drooling on the bench….ala George the Animal Steele…..that will be a loss too.

Eat the contract today. Losing by 31 to PSU is inexcusable. Hell, I can walk around campus and find 5 guys that could give them a better game. WVU will beat Pitt by 50 at this rate. Fire Stallings now, start over, because this hoops season is going to be a public image and financial disaster if you don’t.

My uncle told me a story about my grandad (born in late 1800’s)and his cousin playing basketball game for Pitt though neither went there or to any college…apparently they got to the area via train and happened to be walking by where Pitt was to play a game PITT didn’t have enough players and they were asked to play… wish “ pup” was alive- would love to know how it turned out! Couldn’t have been any worse than last night….

Just wrote the snarkiest post of my life, but looked above at the “keep it civil” and deleted it. There is no reason to pile on anymore. It would be like shooting yourself in the head while falling off a 20story building. Not gonna change a thing.

A huge problem is Gallagher doesn’t want to pay for a coach. Enfield wanted X amount and Gallagher said no. Now we except him to buy out Stallings and his staff then pay the buyout for the new coach?

Some Pitt fans seem proud that there is no money to do the above. The only other option is to hire Crean or Matta since they are sitting at home. You think Gallager is going to meet their demands? He’ll smile and shake his head no.

They burned all the bridges in Philly over Jaylen Bond’s forced de-commitment when Khem Birch came earlier than expected Bond never did anything in Austin and eventually left the Longhorns. But the Philly hoops guys saw it a failure of trust and the pipeline all but dried up. Then Birch flakes out in December, and the rest is history. I think you can go back to the Khem Birch experience as the point at which things began going straight downhill for the program.

one bad year in a highly visible sport like football or basketball will severely damage a school’s brand. The school will receive a drop off in applications. Fewer high quality students will apply. Merchandise sales will tank as well as future tickets sales, The conference will know we dont take sports seriously. Watch for a boot from the ACC if this continues.

So why build a new arena when its half filled and you’ve got costly maintenance costs. Well Pitt will do what they did with Pitt stadium. They will just eventually let it go. Pitt has always been responsible for lack of attendance because they always seem to hire the wrong coaches. Right coaches – Majors and Sherrill. Right coaches – Dixon
When the right coaches are hired, you start winning and winning leads to ideas of building bigger and better venues for the fans. Winning draws in fans. Good coaches win

I suspect there is more to Barnes leaving than is publicly known. Something must have happened to cause his rapid exit from the program after so short a time. It is not likely that money for the Athletics Dept. was the cause after they paid out a significant salary to get Stallings and belatedly offered $1 million to Canada. There has to be a reason why Dixon recruited so poorly in his last few years, and somehow this is all related to Barnes leaving and then hiring a relatively inexperienced Lyke to replace him. Can any of the POVers with inside connections connect the dots?

I see your point but I’m not sure it’s entirely accurate. Wannstedt had been a head coach in the NFL. Graham was a head coach before. However I was sure he did not unpack when he hit town. McConnell-Serio had been a head coach before in the WNBA and at Duquesne. She has roots in the area. Vidovich (men’s soccer) had been a head coach before. Berenato had been a head coach before and was fairly successful except for her last couple of seasons (which were disasters).

IMO opinion Wannstedt would still be at Pitt if not for the efforts of Nordenberg and Pederson. I still remember leaving the 2010 WVU game thinking that it would be tough for him to hold his job given the outcome of that game, the way fans had soured on him that season, and all the bad press surrounding the SI article about control within the program.

IMO Dixon would still be at Pitt if not for Barnes. I don’t buy that Dixon just wanted out. Dixon was headed for Boeheim, Coach K longevity at Pitt.

I’m honestly not sure why Berenato wasn’t allowed a bit more rope. The women’s bball program has been poor the last two seasons under SMS. I imagine Berenato would have remained too. She was in her 50s when fired.

What do Wannstedt, Dixon and Berenato have in common? All presided over some of the best, most memorable years of their respective programs in the last 30 years.

I remember when Penn State could not score 31 points in a game, now they beat Pitt by 31 — what a turn-around. Sad. And to see TCU playing their best basketball in many years and what Wisky is doing in FB. Double Ouch! Or as a famous Pittsburger once said, yoi and double yoi!

Look no further than our bored with sports Chancellor for the Ills of Pitt FB and BB.

After his initial burst of ‘school pride’ when hired he has kept a formal and big distance from the Athletic Dept.

After all anyone who did this; he was the “14th director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and had served as the Acting United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce.” must be well versed in all issues dealing with athletic endeavors.

Reed you are wrong about Wlat. Long and nerdy ran him out. he loved pgh and wanted to stay. he effed up with that agent and he admits that was a mistake. I see him at Pitt golf outings a lot. He is a Pitt fan.

Reed sort of “poo-pooed” the idea of sports as a “front porch” for the University and it’s importance to the student experience. My thought? Maybe that’s because most of us attended Pitt when we were mediocre or worse. Aside from those in school from ’73-’89 or classmates of ike in the ’30’s (just teasing, buddy), most of us can’t identify with winning football teams.. so we diminish it’s importance.

While I agree I wouldn’t have chosen to go anywhere else, I can tell you I was always envious of friends who were able to enjoy the excitement around a successful (or even competitive) team on fall weekends. As a college kid, it’s pretty damn amazing to sit in a full stadium with fellow classmates cheering equally hard against your opponent as for your team- Hell, I feel that way now. And it does matter..

Penn State students identify with their team. They have for years. Maybe it’s because there’s nothing else to do in Creepy Valley. But I do know this.. That program defines their college experience. And their post graduation donations show it. It’s not just the sheer number of graduates that generates all those donations. They have a MUCH larger percentage of graduate donations than Pitt. You don’t think those extra dollars might make a difference fat Pitt? Before they became known for football, PSU was a joke agriculture school (still kinda is.. haha) but is now a fairly regarded instituion. Football BUILT that school.

What about Duke? Look at all of the kids at Cameron Indoor that likely never saw a basketball game in their life before admission (lots of pocket protectors in that crowd), who now camp out for tickets. Why? Because Duke IS basketball. Duke was a great institution long before being good in basketball but did anyone know? Did anyone care?

Duke and Stanford think sports are important. Chancellor Gallagher “says” he thinks sports are important. Two out of three ain’t bad.

The hurley boy at Rhode Island turned us down flat. Pitt admin s were shocked we got turned down by 3 or 4 candidates. Barnes panicked . Funny the Scout “hoops school”idiots thought Pitt was a destination job ITS NOT.

Now both BB and FB has gone sour as a destination for any coach above medium HS grade coach. No decent coach in either sport will come here. Our reputation precedes us. Maybe as a 2 year stepping stone, but that’s it.

Did we have good basketball prior to building the Pete or did the winning begin with the Pete…it’s sounds dumb but I don’t follow BB… was the Stadium raised and the Pete built in its place because of BB success and poor FB success…

Pitt moved into the Pete for the 2002-2003 season, Howland’s fourth and final at Pitt. The team was 19-4 and 29-6 the prior two years. There’s little dispute the Pete helped grow the program.

The move to raze the Stadium and build the Pete was not an intentional statement of basketball over football. The school felt both facilities (Fitzgerald and Pitt Stadium) were outdated and felt that building an on-campus, multi-use facility for basketball while “sharing” a brand new NFL stadium would be the most cost effective way to get new homes for both.

Pitt stadium was razed because they couldn’t get enough public support to build Heinz. By adding Pitt a public university, to its tenants, the Commonwealth could then justify using public funds to build Heinz. In return for Pitt demolishing the football stadium, Pitt got $30MM from the Commonwealth to build the Pete. The whole thing was a backroom deal between the Governor and the BOT.

Nerdy and the ruineys conspired to move us to Heinz. you are right ruiney had a perfectly fine football stadium he need Pitt to sell it to the legislature. Nerdy being the ahole he was thought pitt was a hoops school . It never was.

Actually they became really good when they hired Paul Evans, who coached several of Chipman’s blue chippers like Charles Smith, since Evans had a reputation coaching bigman David Robinson at Navy.
Pitt won the BIgEast Conference Regular Season Championship in 1987-88 season and reached as high as Number 2 in the polls that year and was in the Top 10 all year.

Pitt’s best team although was in 1974, where it won 22 straight games and reached the Elite 8 before losing to eventual National Champion, NC State.

Reed you are wrong . Long and Nerdy literally pushed Wlat out the door. His contract was up. they made zero effort to re sign him He did not bolt he had no contract after 2004 that is precisely what happened. the media pushed for Wlat to be canned too esp Starkey

Just discussed the Pitt Football Championship Fund with Pat Bostick. Spending of the fund is administered jointly by the Athletic Director and the Head coach. So Pat Narduzzi does not have sole control over that money.

Reed, I’m not convinced that Barnes jumped for higher pay. He could have built something here in the ACC, whereas he will always be second tier at Big 10 OSU. Also, he had to know that such a short stay at Pitt would hurt his reputation and resume. I still believe there was something else behind it..

Look the new AD is stuck with decisions that will handcuff her for another couple of years. Pitt simply put can’t buy out Stallings and pay a new coach for at least two more years. Maybe they get lucky with him who knows. But man Pitt BB stinks. When the ACC network revenue kicks in 2019 payable 2020, that money can be used for coaches, buyouts ect. If Narduzzi wins 9 to 10 games in 2019, no question he will be in demand.

Reed..I knew there was a POVite who knew that history like the back of his hand and would immediately respond-that saved me the time of having to look it up myself which allowed me to finish my electronic medical so I can get finished and get headed to PA for Thanksgiving and Christmas tree cutting and maybe a little POV tailgating..SHOUT OUT to Jay 91 for the prompt response…Commander-know thy flock…

It’s been a tough FB season record wise but look at what we have gained from our association through this medium.. so much to be thankful for…Thank you Reed .

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving yinz-y’all -safe travels if you will be mobile…

Ike.
You’re “positive spin” in my opinion has put Upitt in a serious bind!
You guys will settle on a $10 gift card settlement, Ike will buy a 6 pack of Iron at Giant Eagle and both sides will be happy for Thanksgiving !

Goalie44, you may be right about Barnes landing on his feet at OSU, but I’m trying to make some sense out of all this and it just doesn’t add up. There had to be more going on that we don’t know about.

Hey fellow POV fans, last minute illness is keeping me from flying in for the game… 4 tickets, section 108 row BB, on the end of the row. Face value… call if you are interested..678-595-2069 cell #. Sean